Page 326 - 8 Persian Trade rep Muscat 2_Neat

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Measures (Linear). Shipping:.
TLj principal Stcs.ir.ship Lin-i-s which called at
1 Shibr . 1 Hand or 4} inches. Muscat and 31atrah daring tie 3’car under report
4 Whiles . 1 Dliir.i or cubit. were a.* follows :—
4 Dhim . 1 Ba' or fathom. {1; The British folia Sterna Navigation Com­
pany, Limited.
(2) The St rick Lite of Steamers.
Legislation. (3; The Ellerm.ui and Bucknall Steamship
Company, Limited. Q
The Government of the Sultanate is conducted (4) The llunsa Lite of St manners.
T»j the Sultan and is of the oriental type tempered (5j The Ynma-Lita Stcnimsliip Company,
by Treaty for the l>«ucfit of British subjects over Limited.
whom the local authorities havo no jurisdiction. 133 steamers of all nationalities aggregating
The head.'? of the various State Departments carry I 484,911 tons •entered a ad cleared those ports during
out their administrative duties under the orders of J t)ic yCar ending the 31st March 1937. Of theso
Hi? Highness and the Walia (or Governors) in charge | 117 wjth a tc-tal tonnage of 302,339 were under the
of districts arc directly responsible to the Sultan. D British Flag, 10 Ilan-u Line vessels wrih a total
Civil ard Criminal Courts arc presided over by tontajrc £3,132 and 8 Japanese with a totil tonnage
a Chief Justice, hut eases against British subjects of 5>..'J40 entered and cleared tLc ports of Muscat
are tried by the Political Agent on principles of and Mat rah.
law adopted from British India. Cases of British
subjects and Protected persons ngainst Muscat
subjects are decided in the Muscat Courts, in which Freight.
the right of Consular representation is held and Freights ruling duriinj the year were as follows:—
exercised.
To Him bay aad Karachi :—
Po. .A.
Dry Dates 0 34 per bag.
Customs. ’.Vet Dates 11 0 per ton of 20 cwta-
V>'ct Date-* In eases . 11 0 per ton of 40 cJt.
Custom* duties on imports arc at present levied Dry Fish ia bundle? 1 0 per bundle.
at the rate of 5 ]K-r cent. ad valorem on foodstufTs Pocncgraa-ucs in erases . 1 1 per cr-tf-r.
W'v>l in beadle*
7 3 per bun il*?.
and general merchandize, 10 per cent-, on certain Cotton in bundles 3 6 per bun lie.
goods clarified as coming under the category of Cotton piece-goods and
‘^luxuries” and 2«'i per cent, on liquors containing woollen goods 11 0 per ton of 40 c. ft-
alchohol c-f the strength of 53® Under Proof or less. R To Colombo :—
There is no duty levied on goods exported from »Vcl Da(<* 24 4 per ton of 20 cvrt*.
the .State l.-ut produce from the interior brought Wet Dates jn eases . 24 4 jkt ton of 20 cwts.
into the Coastal towns for sale or export is charged Dry Fish ia bundles 33 0 per ton of 20 carts-
with an octroi duty of 5 per cent.
To United State-s of America :—
In all districts subject to the Muscat Govern­ £ «. d.
ment's authority the ancient Islamic tax known Wet Dates an eases . 3 <!> 0 per U/z of 20 cwta.
as “ Zakatrr of 5 per cent, ad tala ran, is enforced or W c.fU
on the principal products of the country, in this To LoofSon:—
case limes, dates and firewood. Wet Dates 5n eases . 2 17 ®pcrtoaof20cwta-
The revennes derived front the Customs and the or 4v c-ft.
above taxes constitute the main source of the State's
income. PART IL
(A) Trade.
Gacral conditions.—Hi ere was an improvement
Population. in the import amd export trade during the year under
No regular census of the population of Muscat review.
arid Matrah bas been taken hut a rough computa­ The following comparative tabBe shows the value
tion fixes tae figure.-* at 4,500 and 8,500 respectively. of imports and exports for the years 1935-30 and
1930-37
The large majority of the Indian trading com­ 193-7-24. 1936-37. Incr»w<+)
munity con-iVts of Khojas and Banias which formerly Decresocf—).
inhabited Muscat has rincc moved to Matrah where E*. IU. Bjl
greater facilities exist for direct trade with the inte­ laporti . . 38^7^35 44,63rV>l -f 6,28/lM
rior. Export* . . 32,64,948 32,44 ,/Ml — 24.297